Stabat Mater di G.b. Pergolesi - Azione Sacra Testi di J. da Todi e G. Testori a Cura di Antonietta Cozzoli

The Stabat Mater is derived from a "sequence" by Jacopone da Todi, a splendid passionate song of remote origin, embraced by the Church as liturgically appropriate and included in the Stations of the Cross. It was commissioned to Pergolesi by the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows in 1730. He adopted Jacopone's text and arranged it for two female voices supported by a string orchestra, embracing the sacred text with intense emotion and religiosity; as Heine writes, "cloaking as much as possible in flowers the Terrible that overflows from the passion, and tempering the bleeding seriousness with playful tenderness."

The voices express hieratic stillness and bend towards the representation of Mary's sorrow, becoming witnesses to the Crucifixion. The melody associates the theatrical elements of despair with the hagiographic ones of dignity through dissonant plays with strong pathetic accents. In the performance of the Stabat that we now present, the original concept of Sacred Representation is emphasized in a synergy of poetic text and music that traverses Jacopone with "Mary's lament," an icon of the Sorrowful Madonna. She stands at the foot of the Cross and weeps upon seeing the body of her dying son, Jesus. Poetry gives way to music, which gives voice to the "witnesses" of the Crucifixion event. To humanity's invocation that recites, "To stay with you at the Cross and grieve with you, this is my vow," is responded with the words of Giovanni Testori in "Interrogatorio a Maria": "Look, my wound is still bleeding and painful... I too every day to be with you return here." The mother takes on the world's pain and continues to "stay" at the foot of the Cross to hand over these sufferings to her son. Hers is a pain that becomes love and welcomes the redemption plan of Christ. He has saved humanity by opening the gates of Paradise to anyone who gives themselves out of love.

The musical performance is accessible with paid admission. Tickets are on sale through the Vivaticket network or at the operational headquarters on Via D. Manin, 2 in Molfetta from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For information: infoassocapotorti@libero.it, tel. 3476802707 /0803348225 during office hours.
Web: www.associazionecapotorti.it